This invention relates to a crane mounted on a shipping and stowage container. More particularly, this invention is for a self-erecting crane secured to the end of a shipping and stowage container using powered hoists for lifting/lowering loads and manual force for extending/retracting the lifted loads in the X-direction and transversally moving the loads in the Y-direction.
Containers are widely used in air, sea and land transport of goods since they keep many items together as a lot and protect them from damage during the haul. Large transport vehicles can carry rows and columns of the containers that can rest singly or in stacks on decks and/or pallets.
The great majority of shipping and stowage containers in commercial air and maritime commerce have evolved into a standard design. The standard established by ISO 1161 requirements by the International Organization for Standardization defines containers of standardized dimensions and ruggedness to promote efficiency and safety for air and maritime use. The ISO 1161 containers are robustly constructed with rigid side walls mounted on strong frameworks that have a heavy-duty block-shaped corner fitting at each of the containers' eight corners. The corner fittings and other parts of an ISO 1161 container can be made of steel, aluminum or other tough material.
The block-shaped corner fittings have outward facing elongated openings sized to receive appropriately dimensioned heavy-duty rotatable bayonet portions of standard double-cone twist-lock fittings. When a cone-shaped bayonet portion of a double-cone twist lock fitting is inserted through an opening and into an ISO 1161 corner fitting, the inserted portion is manually rotated a partial turn via an attached small twist-lock lever. This rotation of the inserted bayonet portion securely engages the twist-lock fitting to the block-shaped corner fitting, and when the other cone-shaped bayonet portion of the double-cone twist lock fitting is inserted through an opening and into a piece that needs to be interconnected, the other inserted portion is manually rotated a partial turn via an attached small twist-lock lever to secure the piece to the container. A considerable number of ISO 1161 block-shaped corner fittings are well known and commercially available, and interfacing standard double-cone twist-lock fittings are well known and commercially available by a number of well known suppliers, such as the Model AE10000A-1GA Double Cone Two Position Twistloc with “Preloc” feature marketed by TANDEMLOC Inc., 824 Highway 101, Havelock, N.C. 28532, and the F476, F633, F656 series of twist locks by Peck and Hale Cargo Securing Systems, 189 Division Avenue, West Sayville, N.Y. 11796.
Frequently the need arises for strong lifting mechanisms at containers to help in the performance of work tasks adjacent the containers or to help load/unload goods through one of their several closable openings. Currently, fixed mechanisms that are specifically designed for lifting/relocating items at the containers are not known. Typically, external non-fixed lifting equipment must be brought to the work site at the ends of the containers and utilized to lift/move things. When such non-fixed lifting equipments are available on ships at sea, ship motions may make the use of such forklifts or portable hoists impractical and/or unsafe. In addition, some stowage compartments and holds on ships may have insufficient overhead clearance or capacity to mount an adequate lifting device at the container's ends. Cranes potentially can be mounted internally in the containers, but these might take up too much valuable storage space inside. Additionally, such a crane can have a fixed size and may not be removable or further erectable.
Thus, in accordance with this inventive concept, a need has been recognized in the state of the art for a crane externally mounted on a shipping and stowage container for lifting/lowering loads, and extending/retracting lifted loads in the X-direction and transversally moving lifted loads in the Y-direction.